This invention relates to collapsible furniture. More particularly, the invention relates to a lightweight table having a blow-molded table top containing improved assembly and support features.
Collapsible or foldable tables are widely used in a number of applications, such as to provide temporary table space in multipurpose meeting rooms like banquet halls and hotel conference rooms. Collapsible tables are popular for such applications because they may be folded into a relatively flat package which provides for ease of storage between uses.
Prior collapsible table designs have been lacking in numerous respects. Some tables, such as those having table tops made of solid wood or particle board, are extremely heavy and unwieldy, causing difficulty in transport and setup. Such heavy tables can also cause severe damage or injury if dropped or mishandled during transport and/or use, as when they are set up and taken down. Lighter-weight table designs having a hollow core are easier to handle, but are not without challenges with regard to support and assembly. Tables having adequate support for the top surface are generally more complicated to assemble. Tables that are easier to assemble do not always provide suitable support for the table top and top surface.
What is needed, therefore, is a folding table which is sturdy, relatively light-weight, relatively easy to assemble, and has a relatively rigid and well-supported top surface.
The above and other needs are provided by a collapsible table having an elongate table top that includes a substantially planar top surface, and a bottom surface opposite the top surface. The bottom surface of the table top has opposing elongate first and second side edges and opposing end edges that are substantially perpendicular to the first and second side edges. The bottom surface also includes elongate first and second cylindrical channels that are adjacent and substantially parallel to the elongate first and second side edges. The elongate first and second cylindrical channels have first and second inside radii, respectively. Attached to the bottom surface of the table top is a support frame that includes first and second elongate cylindrical support members received within the elongate first and second cylindrical channels, respectively. The first and second elongate cylindrical support members have first and second outside radii that are equivalent to or slightly smaller than the first and second inside radii of the elongate first and second cylindrical channels. The support frame also has first and second pivotal leg assemblies, each having a cross member pivotally attached to and spanning a space between the first and second elongate cylindrical support members. The leg assemblies each include one or more leg sections attached to the cross member.
In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the collapsible table includes projections disposed on opposing sides of each of the elongate first and second channels. The first and second projections, which are preferably integrally molded into the bottom surface, provide a snap fit to retain the first and second elongate support members within the elongate first and second channels.
One advantage of the invention is that it provides a table that it is more robust and easier to assemble than conventional tables. Another advantage of a table made according to the invention is that the elongate first and second channels and the first and second projections enable repeatable capture of the support members on the bottom surface of the table top, so that assembly of the table may be completed with less variation in quality from table to table.